The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-04-28

an muslin apron On; her folks have
gone up to Amhurst for thanksgivin'
an Tryphena has come over to help
our folks get dinner. She thinks q
great deal of mother, cause mother
teaches her Sunday.school class an
says Tryphena oughter marry q
missionary. There is. hustle every.
where, the rattle Of pans an the clat.
ter OF dishes, an the new kitch n stove
begins to warm up an git red till Hell.
en- loses her wits an is hustered, an
SEE she never could git the hango that
stoves hampers:
"Ah' now," Ipurmured Ezra: gently;
As a, tone of deeper reverence crept
into his voice, II can see father sittin'
all by himself in the parlor. Fathers
hair is very gray and there are wrinkles
on his honest old face. He is lookin'
through the winder at the Holyoke
hills over yonder, and I can guess he's
thinkin OF the time when he wuz g. boy
like me an Amos, an useter climb
over them hills an kill rattlesnakes
an hunt partridges. Or doesn't his
eyes quite reach the Holyoke hills!
Do they tall kind O. lovingly but sad
~ on the little buryin' ground Jest
beyontl the Village-ah, father knows
that spot, an he loves 1t, too, for
there are treasures there whose mem.
ory he wouldn't swap for all the
world could give. So, while there is
kind O. mist in fathers eyes, l can
see he is dreamin'-like of sweet an
tender things, and'a ,communin' with
memory-hea: in' voices never heard,
an feelin' the tech OF hands / never
pressed-ai1' SEEM fathers peaceful
face find it hard to think Of d thanks.
glyi1' sweeter than fathers is.
The pictur' in the freight changes
now" said Ezra, IAN seems as If
wuz in the old frame meetin' house,
The meetin' house is on the hill. and
meetin' begin at hall pas 10. Our
pew is well up in front:-seetns as If
red cushion on the seat, and in
the hymn book rack there is a
bible an a couple of psalmo.
dys. We walk up the isle slow, and
mother goes in fl st, then comes Mary,
then me, then Helen, then Amos, and
then father. Father thinks it is Jest
as we'll to have one O. the girls set in
between me an Amos. This meetin'
house is full, for every body goes to
meetin' thanksgivin' day. The minis.
ter reads the proclamation an makes
prayer, an then hegives out a psalm
an we all STAN up an turn round an
join the choir. Sam Merit has come
up from Palmer to spend thanksgivin'
with the OF folks, an he is singin' ten.
or to-day in his old placein the choir.
Some folks say he sings wonderful
we'll, but l don't like Sans voice.
Laura sings soprano in the choir, and
Sam stands next to her an holds the
book.
''Seems as if I could hear the minis.
ter's voice. full of earnestness an mel
ody, comm from away up in his little
round pulpit. He is tellin' us why we
should be thankful, an, as he quotes
scriptur' an DIR. Watts, we boys Won
der how anybody can remember so
much of the bible. Then get nervous
and worried. Seems to ME the minis
ter was never comm to lastly, and
lind myself wonderin' whether Laura
Is llstenin' to what tho preachin' is
about, or is writin, notes to Sam Mer.
rift in the back of the tune book.
get thirsty, too, and fidget about till
father looks at me and mother nudees
Helen and Helen passes it along to
me with interest.
"An' them" continues Ezra in his
revelry, "when the last hymn is given
out an We stan up agin an Join the
choir, am glad to see that Laura is
singln' outer the book with Miss Hub.
bard, the alto. An goin' out o. meet.
in l kind OF edge up to Laura and ask
her If kin have the pleasure of seein'
her home.
can now we boys all 20 out on the
common to play ball. The Enfield
boys have come over. and, as all the
Hampshire county folks know, they
are tough fellers to beat. Gorhan
Polly keeps tally, because he has got
the newest jackknife-oh, how slick it
whlttles the old broom-handle Gorham
picked up in Packard's store an
brought along jest to keep tally on
Its is great game of ball; the bats
are broad and light and the ball is
small and soft. But the Enfield bows
beat us at last, leastwise they make
20 tallies to our SO, when Heman
Fits knocks the ball over into Aunt
Dorkas Eastman's yard and Aunt
Dorkas comes out an picks up thu
ball an takes it into tho house an
wehave to stop playin'. Then Phineas
Owens allows he can flop any boy ir
Belchertown, an Moses Baker takes
him up an they wrassle like two tar
tars, till at last Moses fuckers
Phineas out an downs him as slick
as a whistle.
"Then we all go home, for thanks
givin' dinner is ready. Two long tables
have been made into one and one OF thu
big tablecloths gran ma had when she
set up housekeepin'is spread over EN-
both. We all set round-father, moth
er, Aunt Lydia Holbrook, Uncle ia
son, Mary, Helen, Tryphena Foster
Amos, and me. How big an brown
the turkey is, and how goodit smells
There are bounteous dishes OF mashed
potato, turnip, an squash, and the
celery is very whitesand cold, the bis
cult are light an hot, and the stewed
cranberries are red as Laura't
cheeks. Amos and / get the drum
sticks; Mary wants the wish-bone tt
put over the door for Hiram, but Hell
en- gets it. Poor Mary, she always
did have to give up to 'rushin' Helen,
as we call her. The pies-oh, what
pies mother makes; no dyspepsia il
'em, but good mature an good health
an hospitality! Pumpkin pies-minct
an apple too-an' then q big dish o
pippins an russets an bellfowers, an
last OF all, walnuts with cider from
the Zib1ina Dickerson farm. tell yor
! there's a thanksgivin' dinner for We
That what we get in old Belchertcwn
an that's the kind of livin' thai
makes the Yankees so ALFRED eooG
an smart!
"But, the best of ALL" said Ezra
very softly to himself, ooh, yes, thu
best scene in all tie pictur' is wher
| evenin' comes, when the lamps are lii
in the parlor.. when the neighlort
come in, and when there is music an
singin' an games. An it's this p&r|
O. the pictur' that makes me home